


Confection

by unlockthelore



Series: Affections Touching Across Time [9]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Adult Rin (InuYasha), Attempt at Humor, Banter, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M, Innuendo, Nonverbal Communication, Post-Canon, Romantic Gestures, Teasing, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:20:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24271963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unlockthelore/pseuds/unlockthelore
Summary: Rin has never been one to ask for much or give away what she thought. So it’s odd how Sesshomaru just seems toknow.
Relationships: Rin/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Series: Affections Touching Across Time [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1713493
Comments: 6
Kudos: 69





	Confection

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt that inspired this is: “It wasn’t like it was this grand gesture or anything. But somehow, him knowing exactly how she liked her coffee made her all warm inside.”
> 
> Inspired by [cheesyotpprompts](https://cheesyotpprompts.tumblr.com/post/614467351862181888/it-wasnt-like-it-was-this-grand-gesture-or) on Tumblr.
> 
>  **[ Timeline Notes ]** In this snippet, Rin is currently **twenty-five** years old.

Rin shoved the scrolls away from her with enough force, her table trembled on its legs. Bridging her fingers together, she set her chin upon them and glanced longingly out the window at the cloudless afternoon sky. With an occasional lazy breeze to offset another wave of irritation, she was able to resist the urge to simply toss her work aside and run out to the open fields. Lounging against A-Un’s side while listening to the crackling flames and sparking electricity brewing beneath his scales would have been a wonderful way to spend her afternoon. Not assessing the damages from a new wave of fresh-faced recruits, all eager for the chance to serve and potentially die beneath the Lord of the West’s command. Wholly unaware that _training_ would be just as grueling as the battlefield. 

Eagerness was a quality Rin could respect. She’d been eager in her earlier years, desiring to learn as quickly as possible. However, she also caused herself injury in more than one instance. Injury that was solved by a priestess’s reiryoku, a half-demon’s griping of how she needed to be careful, and a long nap once the pain subsided. Not a plethora of healers attempting to reattach the arm of a yōkai foolish enough to believe that a “duel” would bring honor. Sunlight mockingly reflected off the wet surface of her inkstone, glittering across drying ink as if beckoning her to return to work with the false promise of an early reprieve.

Dropping her forehead to her fingers, they bowed beneath the weight while Rin’s shoulders quaked with another chest-caving sigh.

“If you sigh so often, you’ll risk giving your happiness away.”  **[ 1 ]**

Mourning a beautiful afternoon had stolen Rin’s ability to discern sound, apparently, as she completely missed Sesshomaru’s arrival. Although in her defense, Sesshomaru had always been quiet in both movement and words. She was grateful to see him nonetheless — but the sight of a cup frothing misty steam stole her attention. 

“Sesshomaru….”

With the faintest quirk of a brow, barely a millimeter above normal, he asked. “Did you not hear me?”

“Not in the slightest,” Rin admitted, stifling a giggle as his lips twitched at the corners. A rueful glance directed toward the scrolls set in front of her with enough venom to kill. 

With pronounced grace, Sesshomaru crossed from the room, avoiding a veritable barrier of bark-bound journals and ink-stained papers strewn across their study’s floor. A sidelong glance given as he passed by a few trials of Rin’s cartography, her failures adorned with idle drawings of butterflies and flowers out of sheer boredom and conflict of interest. Golden eyes, twin suns in their own right, flicked toward her. Effectively fading the longing to tread outside but uninspiring to her work ethic. If Sesshomaru’s intention was to inspire her to continue, his own presence undermined his goals.

To her relief, he said not a word about the scrolls outside of a glance. Shifting the wooden knob away to free room on the table, Rin stared in awe and confusion as Sesshomaru set the cup down then lowered to sit by her side. Telling clattering as his swords’ sheaths knocked against the floor, his armor catching in the sunlight and soft murmuring drawing Rin’s attention to the present. Another lazy breeze curled along the back of her neck and she reached up to tuck a loose lock of hair behind her ear. Clawed fingers beating her to it, a shiver whether from the chill or his touch, running down her spine as his fingers traced along the curve of her jaw before pulling away.

Golden eyes met her own and for a brief moment, Rin wanted to ask his intention. Then Sesshomaru’s touch receded and the question drifted from her mind as well. He glanced at the scroll without a word. Taking the cue, Rin shifted it forward though she was careful of the cup and its contents. Vaguely aware of the sugary sweet scent drifting through the air and drying her tongue.

Tearing her gaze away from it long enough to re-read the message, her brows furrowed, lips pinching together. 

“There was an emergency meeting discussing the behaviors of the newest recruits, in particular, defense of _pride_ in disguise of _honor_ ,” she said, rolling her eyes at the explanation. Sesshomaru’s mirthless hum, both indignant and less than graceful, _almost_ made her want to smile. “After having to restitch a yōkai’s arm, I can imagine _why_ that would be cause for discussion, and concern over supplies should it continue.”

Yōkai and their pride. Even the one beside her. It seemed to reign over even the most coherent of thought, and inspire nothing short of brazen stupidity. Honestly, it eluded her how yōkai could think themselves so far from humans when they were prone to the same emotions.

“It won’t,” Sesshomaru said, interjecting on Rin’s thoughts with a deadened tone to his voice. One that she’d seen leave many yōkai cowering in his wake. “This ends.”

Rin smiled a bit, propping her head up on a balled fist. He could be so serious, yet worried in his own way. While most believed him to only have one expression, Rin was adept at reading tells. A downward tug of the lips, his eyes narrowing just a quarter of a millimeter, sideways glances, mere twitch of his nose or ears, and his jaw’s clench to name a few. 

To her, Sesshomaru was _very_ expressive. 

And as he glanced aside at her with the barest quirk of a brow, Rin could practically hear the silent question in a deep gentle voice tinged with muted curiosity: _You think otherwise?_ Tipping her head to one side, Rin inhaled the honeyed scent paired with Sesshomaru’s musk and hid her widening smile behind her knuckles. 

“Yes, yes. You know this and _I_ know this, but think with me for a moment,” Rin tapped a finger beneath her eye in a slow cadence as she mulled over her words. “Let’s say that a battle-hungry and glory-mongering impulsive soldier knows he will be revived and cared for without consequence.”

Sesshomaru’s lips tugged downward at the corners, eyes narrowing fractionally. Displeasure written across his face in Rin’s view alone. Good, she could hardly imagine someone charging into battle without respect for life itself _but —_ for yōkai — healing innately gave them a sense of superiority. 

And death could be quite humbling.

“Now, imagine if he believes otherwise and his companions also know. Accountability, anata **[2]** ****…” She suppressed a giggle with how Sesshomaru’s eyes widened at the nickname. It wasn’t often that she used it but it _did_ ease his mood from murderous intent quickly. As she reached up to palm his cheek, thumb brushing along the marks beneath his eyes, his eyes shuttered and reminded her of the setting sun. 

“If one can’t hold themselves, they can hold each other,” Rin managed to say once she’d torn her gaze away from Sesshomaru’s, trying to remain on topic rather than lose herself. It didn’t help that he’d noticed either, a stifled twitch of his lips telling of a smug smile. She rolled her eyes, easing her hand away and ignoring the brush of his lips as he turned to greet her fingers upon departure. 

“ _With_ that bit of information _conveniently_ released, it should lend a wise soul to think twice before throwing their health to the wind.” Rin tucked her hand to her chest, skin alight with where his lips touched, softer than sunbeams. Her heartbeat quickened. Sesshomaru leaning closer to her, gazing at the scroll but with the closeness of his body to hers and his breaths against her ear, she had to believe it was a pretense. 

“And Lin seemed appeased, if not thankful their ears may be spared.”

Sesshomaru hummed low, a murmuring sound reverberating from his chest to Rin’s own with how closely he pressed to her. “... I will leave this in your hands then.”

Rin almost wanted to say that it was a given, glancing aside to find golden eyes watching her with great interest. A small smirk curving Sesshomaru’s lips when her gaze lingered a bit too long. Looking away, Rin huffed. If he wasn’t aware of how handsome he was then she would have been surprised. And how much of a deterrent he was to her concentration at that. 

Something dragged against the wood of her desk and Rin glanced aside to see the cup closer to her than before. Saccharine warmth curling in the steam still-rising from its opening and with another sniff, Rin’s eyes widened. He wasn’t fond of sweets and as she gestured to herself then pointed to the cup, he arched a brow at her: _Did you believe it was for me?_ A fond smile curved her lips and without being told twice, Rin snatched the cup up in her hands, careful of the sloshing liquid. 

With the sheer amount of work as of late, she hadn’t been able to visit Kaede and the others which admittedly brought its own problems. Missing them terribly was one thing but a lack of a break was wearing at her mind. From the corner of her eye, she could see him watching her raptly despite trying to maintain disinterest. 

Curious. Sugar cresting her lower lip, Rin lapped it away with a slow drag of her tongue, amused by the glance and follow of his eyes. 

“It’s so sweet,” she said, glancing aside when his gaze snapped back to her face.

With the quickest flick of the eyes from her own to her lips then back, Seshomaru muttered. “Is it?”

“Mm,” Rin hid her smile behind her cup. “ _Much_ sweeter than usual.”

His brows twitched, almost furrowing before his expression smoothed out. “I see,” he said, glancing aside. 

Perhaps it wasn’t nice to tease him too much, Rin thought. He did go through all of this trouble. “Whoevermade this has my gratitude,” she said, taking another sip and ignoring the way his ears twitched as a ghost of a smile played on his lips. 

“We should be expecting Lord Etsushi to arrive in a few days time.”

“Is he bringing…”

“Yes, Lady Masae.”

The smile fell and Rin smiled understandingly, patting his arm as she took a few measured sips, wanting to savor the smooth sweetness of her drink. 

“It’s understandable that she can’t resist you,” she said once she finished, though keeping the cup to hide her smile from view. Sesshomaru glanced at her, lips thinned and eyes narrowed to slits. “You’re sweet.”

“Mm,” is all he murmured but the implication was there: _I am not._

“You are what you eat,” Rin reminded teasingly, brushing her knuckle beneath his jaw and his brow raised as he turned toward her. “And I often eat sweets, so…”

Letting her words trail off, she could see the moment they made their impact and Sesshomaru’s lips quirked into a smirk. “Rin...”

The space between them was almost non-existent and she could feel his sigh tickling against her cheek as he leant into her. Holding the cup between them as a thin veil, her heart skipped a beat when a light touch trailed from her knee to her inner thigh and gold encompassed her entire world. 

“Let me finish my honey milk?” She offered weakly, putting up little fight when he curled his fingers around her own, freeing her hand of the cup. Fingers brushing, his touch was electric and set her skin aflame. Sweetness on her lips brushed against his own as the space between them closed. 

“You already finished it,” Sesshomaru murmured, and Rin’s attempt to curse him was muffled in a warm kiss.

She wasn’t sure how it was that he just _knew_ she needed him, but she was grateful all the same. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, Lore here!
> 
> So, there may be some of you who are wondering _when_ am I going to continue 'It Takes A Village', and don't worry, it's in the works. I've got a lot of long-fic projects going and I want to get a buffer together so these hiatus times can lessen. In the meantime, I did want to put out _something_ because I can't resist and it helps with ideas.
> 
> With that being said, a glimpse into Rin and Sesshomaru's lives as Lord and Lady of the West. A small instance, mind you. This is mostly centered on Rin and fatigue. As you can tell, she has a pretty important job and quite a few people looking to her for leadership and Sesshomaru not only appreciates her but tries to help her out.
> 
> There _are_ a few names that are thrown out in reference to characters that will make their appearance in other drabbles or in long-fics. So keep an eye out for them. 
> 
> **Research Notes**  
>  **[ 1 ]** I'm not sure where I heard this saying from, but I recall it being that everytime you sigh, you're giving away your happiness. And I just thought it was a cute little thing to include. Probably something he heard from his mother, no doubt.
> 
>  **[ 2 ]** Anata is similar to 'my darling' and 'my sweetie' but is translated to English as "you". Think of it as a _very_ intimate way of addressing one's significant other, and is predominantly done by a wife. It shouldn't be said flippantly as it can be a little insulting, rude and or creepy to anyone who is _not_ a significant other, or someone you know.
> 
> As always, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Tapas, and Pillowfort at **unlockthelore**. 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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